Amateur sleuth Astrid Swift investigates a maritime mystery in this cosy crime adventure set on the Isle of Wight.

The sailors are ashore, and murder is afoot.

It's summer in the Isle of Wight, and the islanders have little more to do than munch crab sandwiches, sip pints of Wight Squirrel, and complain about the hordes of tourists arriving for the world-famous Cowes Week regatta. But when the local busybody drowns in the harbour, what was set to be a relaxing sailing festival starts to turn deadly.

This is a case that only art restorer Astrid Swift and her new art-club friends can solve. Soon she is embroiled in an investigation involving a grand seafront mansion, a dead billionaire's nautical paintings, and a sailing prodigy who mysteriously went missing at sea three years ago.

The Isle of Wight has a reputation for being England's most welcoming island, but even a friendly community can hide a killer...

Praise for the Astrid Swift mysteries:

'Feelgood fun.' The Times
'I romped through The Trust... A cosy debut set in a house brimming with secrets... An enchanting murder mystery.' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
'Macabre murders, quirky characters and delightful settings combine in a way that would make Midsomer proud.' Crime Fiction Lover
'A feisty heroine, an ingenious plot and a cast of quirky characters that soon feel like your best friends, make The Trust a cozy crime to savour.' Merryn Allingham, author of The Bookshop Murder
'Intelligent and gently humorous, with a suitably eccentric cast of characters.' M S Morris, author of the Bridget Hart books

M.H. Eccleston has had a fairly meandering career - starting out as a radio presenter for the BBC, then staying at the Beeb as a journalist and producer for six years. After that, it's a bit of a blur - he spent a couple of decades, at least, freelancing as a foreign correspondent, TV presenter, voice-over artist and film critic. For the last few years he's been a full-time screenwriter and now novelist. He lives in Ealing with his family, which is ruled by a mischievous Frenchie called George.